Chapter 210 Doubts
"Commander Cui?"

"General Cui, dead?"

The defenders were shooting arrows indiscriminately, and their leader was suddenly shot dead half a mile away from the valley entrance. How could this not cause panic?
The Yisheng Army fled back in panic and collided with the Liao Army in the rear, causing a short period of chaos.

The official road in the canyon is narrow, and the Yisheng Army is running around like headless flies. If the rear army, which is unaware of the situation, panics, it will bring disaster to the army.

Yelu Yudu acted decisively and personally killed several fleeing soldiers in time to stop the panic and inquire about the reason. Only then did he learn that the defenders changed their tactics and shot Cui Zhong to death.

It doesn’t matter. The death of the Yisheng Army will not affect it. It is definitely the defending army that will fight to the death.

While comforting himself, Yelu Yudu gave orders to his general Xiao Yixin.

"I see that the Qinzhou defenders are fighting desperately. You will be the one to fight this tough battle. You dare to compete with the horse-riding people in archery? We must defeat arrows with arrows!"

"Yes!"

Xiao Yixin was originally a small commander guarding the Liao city of Nanjing (Yanjing). After surrendering to the Jin Kingdom, he and many Liao surrendered generals were assigned to serve as a general under Yelu Yudu.

At this time, he joined the attack on the Song Dynasty and was more active than before in defending Yanjing. He had made many contributions since entering the Pass. After being appointed as a general by Yelu Yudu, he left with full confidence.

The Yisheng Army was caught off guard and was shot like hedgehogs by the Qinzhou defenders.

Xiao Yixin learned from experience and used shieldmen to clear the way in front. He also followed Yelu Yudu's suggestion and used archers to shoot at the defenders.

For a moment, arrows rained down from the valley entrance, and black spots flew back and forth like insects flying around.

Wu Song received an order from Yang Chang to leave Xuan Zan in charge of the defense of Tongdi, and personally led a thousand elite soldiers out of the city, and rushed to support with Lin Chong overnight.

When he saw that the other side had put up a shield formation that even the precious arrows could not penetrate, Wu Song reminded Yang Chang with a distressed look on his face.

"Sanlang, why don't you stop the archers for a while? It would be a waste to keep shooting at this speed. Hundreds of thousands of arrows can be used up in one day. We are not that rich."

"It's okay. We can regenerate it if we use it up. Otherwise, we can't show our suppression power. Let's continue with the saturation fire!"

"All right."

Seeing that Yang Chang was so persistent, Wu Song stopped trying to persuade him.

Yang Chang was not simply wasting money. He asked someone to prepare a batch of stones in advance. They were all the size of winter melons and pumpkins. Others could not throw such heavy objects, but he wanted to use his expertise.

"Brother, help me. The shield can't stop this thing."

"Tsk tsk, only you and Master Lu can act as human catapults."

Wu Song was full of emotion, but he played the supporting role and fed the bullets meticulously. Yang Chang's "Qilin Arm" almost never stopped, and he threw out stones with the help of the rain of arrows, hitting Xiao Yixin's elite troops and making them scream in pain.

Shields and armor can block rain of arrows, but flying stones the size of winter melons are more powerful than blunt objects, and those who are hit almost always die on the spot.

Only Yang Chang was throwing stones, and although his coverage was not as wide as that of the rain of arrows, the shocking effect he caused was no small.

After all, no one could guarantee that the next piece would not fall on their heads, which made the high-spirited Liao soldiers timid, and the strength and accuracy of their arrows were much worse.

While throwing stones, Yang Chang observed with his Eagle Eyes. When he saw fear on the enemy's face, he immediately ordered the front troops to engage in hand-to-hand combat.

Today, the Qinzhou defenders changed their tactics. In addition to suppressing with the number of bows and arrows, all the soldiers who came to fight were replaced by elite troops. Yang Chang wanted to gain momentum in hand-to-hand combat.

"It's been a long time since I went into battle and killed an enemy. Can you let me have some fun today?"

"Swords have no eyes, and my second brother is not wearing armor, so he might get hurt."

"Don't worry, Sanlang. Even the big beasts can't hurt me, so what can a mere Jin soldier do to me?"

"Anyway, be careful!"

Wu Song volunteered, and Yang Chang did not want to stop him, so he agreed.

The gold seal on his face had been removed, and he had long since changed back into normal attire, but Wu Song had become adept at wielding his swords, so he still held two swords and charged out like a tiger with wings.

Looking at the heroic figure running, Yang Chang actually had the illusion of returning to Jingyang Ridge.

The walker is the one who is punished.

This is the tiger-fighting hero, this is the Wu Erlang he knows.

As soon as Wu Song left, Sun An approached and said, "We changed our tactics today, and the Jin army doesn't seem to be able to adapt."

"That's natural."

Yang Chang nodded slightly and murmured, "Saturation shooting with bows and arrows, this is spending money, how can there be no changes?"

"You are right. We have been hoarding bows and arrows for so long, and we will have to use most of them today. But it is good enough that we can win. The court spent so much money to build the Yisheng Army, but in the end, it serves as the vanguard for the Jin people to attack Song. It is really ironic to think about it."

"It's not just the Yisheng Army. The imperial court has been spending a lot of money to train the army, but it has been beaten to the point of being powerless by the Liaobei Jin and even Liangshan? This is actually an institutional problem. Forcing civil officials to intervene in the army, how can laymen command experts?"

"There is nothing we can do about it. This is how the Zhao Song dynasty came to be. They are afraid that the generals will have real power and wear the yellow robe."

Sun An said this and suddenly stared at Yang Chang and asked curiously, "We have already controlled Pingyang. As long as the situation between Song and Jin is slightly stable, the court should soon notice it. Let's see when you plan to establish independence?"

"Not so fast. It's not easy for the Jin to retreat. We should just pretend to be compliant. We have stored bows and arrows for half a year, and they can be used up in a day or two. How many people are there in Qinzhou and Pingyang? The sooner we establish our independence, the more unstable it will be."

Yang Chang gave his conclusion in a firm tone, and for the first time announced the nine-word policy to the public: "In my dream, a strange man gave me advice, and I got a strategy for conquering the world, which is to build high walls, store up food, and slowly claim the throne."

"Build high walls, store up food, and slowly claim the throne?"

Sun An repeated while praising: "This nine-word strategy is really a method of prudent observation. One must have the demeanor of a king. Kings are often accompanied by strange visions, and this is the case when strange people enter dreams."

"maybe"

Yang Changxin said that there was no such thing as a strange man, I was just borrowing the experience of later generations. He smiled and responded. Suddenly, he saw the Jin people retreating in fear. He then ordered Sun An, "It is estimated that they will be able to counterattack soon. Go and find me a horse. Later, we will join the cavalry of Coach Lin and take advantage of the situation to kill them."

"Ah? This valley is dozens of miles long and narrow. Be careful of the Jin army's ambush."

"That's why I'm going to give chase myself. Oh, and find a weapon. Go ahead."

"okay."

Sun An remembered that Yang Chang had good eyesight, so it was necessary to have him observe in front, so he agreed and left in a hurry.

After a while, Sun An brought a yellow horse, but there were no halberds or other weapons at the outpost, so he brought a spear and a broadsword to choose from.

The weight of the spear was not suitable for Yang Chang, so he was forced to choose a long-handled broadsword.

At the battlefield at the entrance of the valley ahead, Wu Song led the elite Tongdi soldiers to assist Shi Jin in the battle. Xiao Yixin was soon unable to resist and unknowingly retreated seven or eight feet, out of the range of the defenders' bows and arrows.

But today's opponent, Qinzhou, replaced the new recruits with elite soldiers, who are brave even without the threat of bows and arrows.

Yelu Yu watched the battle from the slope behind him, frowning for a long time, wondering what happened to the Qinzhou soldiers today? Even trapped beasts can't fight like this, why does it feel like a different army?
"Captain, the situation of the garrison today is unusual. Even General Xiao can't hold it back. Should we withdraw to Pantuo first and wait until we have a clear understanding before advancing?"

"In the previous few days of fighting, the Yisheng Army was suppressing the enemy. Today, I replaced the main force of the Liao Army, but they were suppressed by the defenders? Withdrawing troops at this time will affect morale. I want to continue to see. If it doesn't work, I will change the team to attack."

Gao Qingyi followed Yelu Yudu into battle, mainly to persuade him to surrender in the later stage. At this time, he did not dare to be too persistent in his persuasion.

Seeing the defenders' old hens turning into ducks, Gao Qingyi had a bad feeling in his heart.

After thinking it over, he still gritted his teeth and reminded: "Captain, don't blame me for being nosy. The road in this canyon is crowded. The Yisheng Army just ran in panic and almost scattered the rear army. If Xiao Yixin really can't resist, won't there be chaos once he retreats? Please consider this carefully."

"That's right."

Yelu Yudu nodded in affirmation, pointed his whip at his personal soldiers and shouted, "Send a message to Xiao Duola, the rear army, to lead his troops to retreat ten miles and set up an ambush, leaving a passage for the front army to move."

"Yes."

Seeing his personal soldiers clasping their fists and riding away, Yelu Yudu turned around and said to Gao Qingyi: "The defenders at the entrance of the valley have the advantage of terrain. I might as well use your strategy to lure the enemy deeper into our territory. It might actually work wonders. If we win, I will offer my strategy to you and ask for credit."

"No, no, no, how dare I take credit for the plan that the governor came up with?"

"If you hadn't reminded me, how could I have been inspired? It's settled. Let Xiao Yixin hold us back for a while, and then we will..."

"Captain, look!"

"Ok?"

Yelu Yudu was comforting Gao Qingyi when the general next to him pointed at the valley entrance in panic.

I saw that the Liao army in front had been defeated and was running into the valley shouting.

"What happened to Xiao Yixin? How dare he retreat before the chief eunuch gave the order?"

"Pass my order. The rear team will become the front team, and the front team will become the rear team. Let Xiao Yixin fight while he retreats!"

"Yes."

After Yelu Yudu issued the military order, he led his troops to retreat slowly. He thought that the defenders of Qinzhou were all infantry, and if they dared to attack him, how far could they run with their two legs?

Perhaps there is no need to reach the ambush point. Instead, the Liao army can wait until the defenders are too tired to fight and then turn around and fight back. The situation will surely be reversed and they may be able to capture the valley entrance stronghold in one fell swoop.

Yelu Yudu's tactics at this time were created by the northern nomadic peoples, that is, to use the advantage of cavalry to wear down the enemy. From the Xiongnu to the Turks, to the Liao and Jin dynasties, and even to the later Mongolia, they were all used. The essence of this tactic was to use cavalry to consume the physical strength of the enemy infantry phalanx. When the enemy infantry phalanx stopped, the cavalry would shoot arrows around to harass them, and when the infantry phalanx charged, the cavalry would move away.

The Xiongnu were defeated by the Han Dynasty and crushed countries along the way during their westward migration. This tactic was then learned by the Parthian Empire, who named it Parthian archery. They used this method to defeat the Roman legions and kill the Roman commander Crassus.

Of course, this method is not unbreakable, otherwise the Han Dynasty would not have defeated the Huns.

The corresponding strategy of the Han Dynasty was to suppress the opponent with more cavalry (three horses for each man) and better equipment.

A strong country has stronger soldiers. Even though the Zhao Song Dynasty was already terminally ill, its national strength was still far stronger than that of the Jin Dynasty. If it were not for various accidental factors, the Jin Dynasty would not have been destroyed so lightly.

The main reason why Yang Chang did not break with Zhao Song at this time was that he did not have enough strength and was still on the front line of the fight against the Jin Dynasty. If he acted impulsively, he would become the next Tian Hu.

When he and Lin Chong led the cavalry into the valley, Yelu Yudu had just received the news that Xiao Yixin had been killed in battle, saying that he was no match for Wu Song and was chopped into two pieces.

"Wu Song? He's here too?"

"Wu Song is Yang Chang's right-hand man. He has been in charge of the defense of Tongdi City. Today's army must be the elite of Tongdi. It seems that they are really fighting hard even though they are trapped."

"Good! Tell the rear guard to catch the enemy and lead Wu Song into the ambush circle. I will capture him in one fell swoop!"

"Yes!"

Yelu Yudu led the army ahead. At first he was worried that they were moving too fast and the Qinzhou defenders would not be able to catch up and would give up. However, he did not expect that his rearguard troops had encountered cavalry instead of infantry.

Two fierce generals, Yang Chang and Lin Chong, led the way. They were like two sharp knives, leading the hundreds of cavalrymen left behind in Qinzhou, galloping and chasing after the defeated soldiers.

All of Xiao Yixin's troops were killed, and the rearguard "luring" troops deployed by Yelu Yudu were unable to stop the Qinzhou cavalry as soon as they connected with them.

Yang Chang swung the broadsword, chopping the soldiers in front into pieces, causing blood and flesh to fly. At that moment, he finally understood why Erye chose to use a knife among so many weapons to choose from. This was a different aesthetic of violence.

Just like when Lin Chong used his snake spear to stab the enemy, although it was done skillfully and with little effort, it was not shocking enough to others.

Whenever the sword was swung successfully, blood would gush out with every strike, which would invisibly intimidate and suppress people.

The first time Lin Chong saw Yang Chang wielding a sword, he couldn't help but ask curiously while running after the enemy: "When did you learn sword skills? How come you are so skilled in using it?"

"Hey, I understand a little bit."

Yang Chang smiled perfunctorily, thinking that this was just some experience he had picked up, so he couldn't tell you the truth.

The two commanders led the charge, chatting and laughing as they competed in killing more people, which caused several cavalrymen behind them to discuss in low voices.

"Did you see that Yang Guanchao also used the sword so well? He fought side by side with Commander Lin. Don't they look like Guan Gong and Zhang Fei?"

"Guan Gong? Doesn't he look like him? Zhu Tongzhi looks like him."

"I'm talking about martial arts, not appearance."

"Uh, Yang Guancha and Guan Gong, I really can't think of them in the same way."

"Really."

Not only did Yang Chang's soldiers think so, but the Liao soldiers who reported the news from the front also described it this way.

Yelu Yudu had led his troops to retreat less than two miles when the scouts of his remaining unit suddenly came to report in panic that the Qinzhou cavalry were following them and attacking them madly, with the two leading generals wielding broadswords and snake spears, like Guan Yu and Zhang Fei reincarnated into the world.

"Guan Yu, Zhang Fei? Didn't find out the names?"

"The enemy general has never communicated with us, and the brothers will die if they touch him. We can't get any news in a hurry."

Seeing the scout's embarrassed expression, Yelu Yudu asked Gao Qingyi: "He actually left cavalry. You know Qinzhou quite well. Do you know who the two generals he mentioned are? Are they really as brave as Guan Yu and Zhang Fei?"

"The one using the snake spear should be Lin Chong, who was originally the instructor of the 800,000 imperial guards and nicknamed Leopard Head. It is said that he is braver than ten thousand men. As for the man using the broadsword, it should be Zhu Tong, the man with beautiful beard. It is said that he looks very similar to Guan Yu, but his martial arts skills are very average."

"No it's not."

The scout interrupted Gao Qingyi and said anxiously, "The one using the sword was even more powerful. None of us who were the rear guards could withstand his second sword strike. We were all killed after fighting for just one round."

"So strong?"

Yelu Yudu suddenly became uneasy, so he turned around and instructed Gao Qingyi, "As the saying goes, knowing yourself and the enemy ensures victory in a hundred battles. Please go over and take a look. You can't be ignorant of who the opponent is, but be sure to control the distance. As long as we can lead them into the ambush point, I don't care whether he is Guan Yu or Zhang Fei."

"I can spare it."

"Since they are all cavalry, the rear army should stop resisting. Pass on my order and retreat at full speed."

"Yes."

The scout turned his horse back to pass the message, and Gao Qingyi followed.

After walking just half a mile, we could see the Qinzhou cavalry. The leading general was indeed unstoppable and no one in the Liao army could stop him.

who can that be?

Gao Qingyi was too far away to see clearly, and the number of soldiers resisting the pursuers was decreasing. Between running away and observing, he chose the latter.

He found a corner and waited until Yang Chang appeared in his sight, then he was so frightened that he galloped away.

When Yelu Yu heard that it was Yang Chang, he asked Gao Qingyi in disbelief: "This guy is in Qinzhou? Then what was he doing a few days ago? Was he playing tricks on me?"

"do not know."

Gao Qingyi shook his head and reminded: "We'd better hurry up. The troops in the valley are too crowded. Yang Chang and Lin Chong are extremely brave. This terrain is at a disadvantage for us."

"Of course I know, but most of us are infantrymen, so we can only fight and march."

Yelu Yudu was worried. He had just issued a retreat order. More than 10,000 troops formed a long dragon in the canyon and it was impossible to readjust the deployment at this time, so he ordered the rear troops to be on full alert.

The name Yang Chang was mentioned many times by Nianhan, which shows that he really has the ability.

Cavalry is easier to evacuate than infantry. Yelu Yudu is not sure whether the ambush can be completed today.

Sure enough, the Qinzhou cavalry chased for seven or eight miles, killed more than 4,000 Liao soldiers, and suddenly stopped.

In today's battle, Yelu Yudu's troops suffered more than 5,000 casualties, setting a record for the highest casualties since the invasion of Song.

In the afternoon, the army retreated to Pantuo in the north of the valley, and the morale of the soldiers in the camp was low.

Yelu Yudu was in a depressed mood and didn't even eat dinner. He sat alone in the tent and thought deeply.

After suffering such a great defeat, he didn't know how to explain it to Nianhan.

After Yelu Yudu surrendered to the Jin Dynasty, he was valued by the two commanders Aguda and Nianhan, and was able to control the real power of the army. In addition to the fact that they valued him as a member of the Liao royal family, they also valued his military ability.

Now that the remaining ministers of the Liao Dynasty have been integrated, if he is not as good as before in military affairs, he will most likely be transferred away and then slowly lose his real power.

Since he was a member of the Liao royal family, he had some political awareness.

Yelu Yudu was in a bad mood and ordered that no one should be disturbed without his permission, but some people really dared to break the rules.

"Dujian."

"Fuck it, do you think I'm talking nonsense?"

As the visitor was about to salute, he saw Yelu Yudu slam his head and stand up, but his expression soon turned to surprise: "Ma Wu? Aren't you in the Yangqu camp?"

"correct."

Yelu Mawu explained: "Yesterday, the Marshal led Tuhesu (Wanyan) as the general and led 20,000 soldiers to reinforce the governor. I came as the vanguard to report the news. The army arrived in half an hour."

"The Marshal's calculations are really accurate."

"Ok?"

"fine."

Yelu Yudu shook his head slightly and sighed, "I hope Tuhesu can defeat Yang Chang."

"Defeat Yang Chang?" Yelu Ma Wu was puzzled and muttered, "He is at the northern gate of Yangliang at this time. The marshal knew that he was not there, so he sent Tuhesu to reinforce you. Why?"

"Yang Chang is in the north gate of Yangliang? Where did you get the news?"

"Lou Shi returned to the Yangqu camp and told the marshal the intelligence himself. Is there any problem?"

"Any questions? Hehe."

Seeing his strange expression, Yelu Yu laughed at himself and said, "Is Yang Chang at the northern gate of Yangliang now? Then who did I meet in the canyon? He caused me to lose 5,000 soldiers today. Could he be a ghost?"

"No way? General Lou Shi saw it with his own eyes."

"Gao Qingyi also saw it with his own eyes. Loushi and I have nothing to do with each other. Could it be that this guy deliberately passed false information to the marshal in order to save his son?"

"Can't this be done?"

(End of this chapter)